"Hail humans, and take heed. This is the carrier Shadow of Intent. Clear this sector while we deal with the Flood."

— Rtas 'Vadum

The fleet arrived minutes after Indulgence of Conviction, which crash-landed in the city of Voi, Kenya, which in turn occurred only moments after Truth's fleet passed through a nearby slipspace portal to the Forerunner facility known as the Ark.[11] Flood forms were dispersed across the city, quickly overrunning the local UNSC personnel. Shipmaster 'Vadum hailed the human troops, instructing them to evacuate as the ship landed Special Operations forces into the ruins of Voi. Soon Shadow of Intent and the battlecruisers glassed the city and the surrounding region to prevent the Flood from spreading across Earth. 'Vadum would have glassed the entire planet were it not for the counsel of the Arbiter.[8]

"I will beat the Prophet's shield like a drum. By the time the barrier falls, he will beg for mercy."

— Rtas 'Vadum

After a period of deliberation among the Sangheili and UNSC leaders, Shadow of Intent and the human frigateForward Unto Dawn passed through the portal to the Ark. The Fleet of Retribution was immediately met by Truth's fleet as Forward Unto Dawn deployed troops to the installation's surface. The Sangheili forces soon emerged victorious despite their enemies' three-to-one numerical advantage.[5]

Shadow of Intent sent down soldiers, vehicles, and supplies to aid the human forces on the surface of the Ark following the victory in orbit. The ship then took part in a diversionary bombardment of the shield protecting the Ark's Citadel, the point from which the entire Halo Array could be fired.[5]

When the shield was deactivated by a joint UNSC-Sangheili strike team, led by the SpartanJohn-117 and the Arbiter, Shadow of Intent moved in to destroy the Citadel. Before the carrier could get into position, however, the Flood-infested High Charity arrived via slipspace and crashed onto the surface of the Ark, shedding debris as it fell. A large fragment smashed through Shadow of Intent amidships and inflicted severe damage, knocking out all of the carrier's weapon systems. Despite the damage, the ship remained operational. Following Truth's assassination by the Arbiter Shadow of Intent evacuated the surviving Sangheili and human forces; only the Arbiter, John-117, the AI Cortana, and Sergeant MajorAvery Johnson remained behind to activate the newly discovered Halo Installation 08, thereby defeating the Flood.[5]

Shadow of Intent presides over the Voi Memorial's commemoration prior to the ship's final departure from Earth.

Shadow of Intent was repaired and refitted at a mobile shipyard on December 30, 2552.[4] Between February 28 and March 3, 2553, Shadow of Intent remained stationed on Earth for a diplomatic mission involving the Arbiter's attendance in the Voi Memorial service, held for those killed in the Human-Covenant War. After the memorial 'Vadum gave the Arbiter command of the vessel, whereupon the ship returned to Sanghelios.[12][4]

Between March 6 and August 24, 2553, Shadow of Intent was believed to be retrieving former Covenant long-range exploratory fleets. On April 22, 2554, the ship was rendered combat-ineffective after a battle with Jul 'Mdama's forces. Up to November 6, 2556, Shadow of Intent was still used against both 'Mdama's Covenant and Jiralhanae forces.[4]

While the basic silhouette is similar to most other assault carriers, with a hooked prowl, immense hangar segment and a thick neck section connecting them, the Shadow of Intent does have a few differences. The most readily-noticed is its smoother hull which lacks the characteristic city-structures, and its distinctive rear cowling. These identify it as a rare Kerel-pattern assault carrier, a Prophet-approved variant of the more common Syfon-pattern. The bridge is located in an armored command pod in the center of the carrier's neck, with the Blademaster's yard running along the outermost sides. This uses a mix of ancient ritual education with the latest War Games technology acquired from the UNSC to train the next generation of swordmasters. At the aft is an elaborate shrine to the Forerunners known as the Nave of the Creators, which is kept in perfect condition thanks to the crewmembers who have not given up their old beliefs. The damage to the warship's interior compartments attained from the Great Schism has still not been completely repaired, with the deeper crew compartments hastily sealed off, ruined hallways and collapsed chambers filled with damage-control foam and entombed corpses.[1]

Like most Covenant ships, the Shadow of Intent is primarily armored with nanolaminate hull plating. During the post-war era, however, this has been supplemented with runic plating installed by the Arbiter's Huragok during repairs. This advanced plating uses lattices of Forerunner composites interwoven with mysterious energy conduits.

↑There are two contradictory references to the Ages of Discovery in Halo: Warfleet. The entry for the Shadow of Intent states it was built during the Third Age of Discovery, circa 2135 in the human calendar, while the entry for the Ardent Prayer gives 2070 as the human date for the Twentieth Age of Discovery.